Well-drilling-cable spooler



Dec. 29, 1925- 1,567164 J. A. MORRISON WELL DRILLING CABLE SPOOLER Filed June 16, 1923 Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

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JESSE A. MORRISON, OF SALT CREEK, WYOMING; HARRIETT MORRISON ADMINISTRA- TRIX OF :SAID JESSE A. MORE/155032,

DECEASED.

WELL-DRILLING-CABLE SPOOLER.

Application filed June 16, 1923.

To all whom it vii-cry concern-.-

Be it known that I, JEssn A. Monnison, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Creek, in the county of Natrona and State of i 5 Vyoming, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVell-Drilling-Cable Spoolers, of which the following is a specification.

In oil field practice today the spooling of cables is tedious and time taking operation. As is well known, there are three cables com monly used in an'oil drilling operation. The drilling line is a steel cable approximately an inch in diameter, and is used for raising and lowering the drilling tools. The sand line is to in diameter, and is used ordinarily for raising and lowering the bailer. There is used in addition the casing line for raising or lowering pipe or casing, and this is the largest of all running from 1" to 1% in diameter.

My invention deals with the problem arising incident to the frequent changing of the cables in a well drilling operation, making necessary the spooling or winding on a drum or spool the cable in use, and the substitution of another cable for the same. Lhe spooling of all cables, furthermore, is necessary at the end of the drilling operation, as a preliminary to shifting equipment to anew location, or storing it away.

Under present operating conditions, the method of handling the cables in spooling them, as now employed, is crude and not satisfactory. The common way to work is to employa spool held against the bull wheel of the derrick machinery, so that it will be turned by the frictional contact with. the bull wheel. It takes ahalf day and the work of two men to spool 3500 feet of cable by the above method, the spool being turned by hand. Nearly the same time is used when the bull wheel friction method is employed.

My invention comprehends, therefore, means for more expeditiously handling the cables in spooling, for which purpose I utilize instrumentalities for establishing a ready and quick connection between the spool and a power driven wheel that may be available at the derrick. This power driven wheel may be the flywheel of the engine, or it may be the rear wheel of a truck, which is very often at hand and ready for use for my purpose by merely jacking up the rear axle, I depend upon an endless Serial No. 645,788.

belt or a sprocket chain connection between the driving means and the spool, and I have devised means for quickly connecting the endless belt contrivancc, whatever it is, with both of the parts to which it has to be applied in carrying out the invention.

My invention also resides in other detail features of construction of, a handy means for operating the spool on which the cables used in the drilling operations are wound, and I have found by the practice of my invention as outlined above, that I am enabled to spool a 3500 foot cable in hour with the laborof two men, affording a tremendous saving of time and labor in the operation and doing the work better, because the cable is wound on the spool uniformly and tightly, substantially as it is found on spools when the latter come from the factories. No liability of tangling or twisting therefore results when a cable is unwound after being spooled by the means comprising my in vention.

A full comprehension of the construction and advantages of my S700ll111 means will be had upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a spool connected up for driving by the use of instrun'ieinalities cn1- hodying niy improrements.

Figure 2- is a fragmentary enlarged view showing more clearly the supporting means for the spool, and means for connecting the sprocket wheel with the latter, and other details.

Figure 3 is an end view of the parts shown in Fig. 2, and Figure l is a top plan view more clearly illustrating said parts.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Describing my invention in detail, and referring to the drawings, I have illustrated some of the oil derrick features including primarily the sampson post 1, walking beam 2, jack post 3, and associated parts. The drilling engine is designated as A at the left of Fig. 1, and its flywheel member 411. As a convenient means for attaching a sprocket to the flywheel 4, I employ a. series of U bolts 5 adapted to receive spokes of the flywheel and to be passed thru pairs of openings in the sprocket wheel which is designated 6. Nuts are then screwed on the ends of the U bolts, and in this Way the sprocket 6 is tightly clamped on to the outside of the head of the spool. A sprocked chain 7 is engaged with the wheel 6 in the custom 'ary .way, and said chain is likewise engaged elements 10 of said hooks 10 with one of the end heads of the winding drum or spool 9. In this way I establish a quickly detachable connection between the sprocket wheel 8 and said spool 9, a connection which will enable the quick removal of the sprocket wheel 8 from one spool, and the quick application of said wheel to another spool. The spool 9 is intended to be supported by horses or jacks 12, the latter comprising a vertical journal post recessed at its uoper end to provide a bearing to receive the aXis or shaft of the spool, designated 13 in the drawings, and consisting of a pipe or similarmember such as may be customarily used in oil drilling operations.

It will be obvious that with the spool mounted on two of the horses 12 by means of the axis 13, and with the sprocket chain 7 properly connected up with the sprockets 6 and 8, the spool may be rotated at high speed by the drilling engine flywheel 41, or by the rear wheel of a. motor vehicle should the latter be used. The cable may be wound tightly and uniformly on the cable receiving body of the spool, and the quick, eifeo tive job of cable spooling thus performed.

If desired, I may use a special type of horse or jack 12, such as illustrated on the drawings, wherein the spool shaft post is carried by abase composed of the sections 14: and 15. The post 12 itself being attached to the base section 14, and hinged at 16 to the section 15. The base section let has a brace 17 connecting it with the part 12 and the parts 12, 17 and 14: are adapted to rock on the pivot 16, owing to the use of a toggle brace 18 composed of two links, the upper one pivoted to the post 12 at 18, and the lower one pivoted to the base section 15 at 18*. By using a screw actuator 19 hav- I .ing a crank handle 20, and having its screw portion engaging a. threaded member 21 at the pivoted connection between the links of the brace 18, I can readily v shift the right hand section of the horse or jack 12 into the dotted line position of Fig. 2, and thus readily lower the spool to the ground. By a reverse action, I can readily raise a spool from the ground whether loaded with av cable or not. Of course, both of the horses or jacks 12 would be of the same construction, and they would both be operated in the above operation.

I do not wish to be limited within the purview ofmy invention to the use of the said raising and lowering means involving the parts 19, 20, and 18, as I may dispense with said parts. Or I may use some similar jacking method corresponding with this in principle, but varying from it in detail features.

The things of primary importance within my invention are the employment of the detachable sprockets, and the sprocket chain connection therebetween, and driving the spool positively from a driving wheel of some sort. Of course, I may use grooved pulleys and a belt or cable instead of the sprocket and the toothed sprockets 7 and 8, the principle of driving would be the same as readily apparent.

When the parts 18, 19 and 20, are not employed the journal posts 12 are rigid with base sections, the latter made in one piece.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: r

In machinery for use in well drilling operations, a support, a spool rotatively mounted thereon, a driven sprocket for the spool, hook members detachably connecting the driving sprocket with the spool at one end of the latter, the support for the spool comprising a journal post, a base for said post made in sections, v one section rigid with the post and the other pivotally attached to the post, and a jacking contrivancefor moving the post and its section relatively to the other section of the base, including a base connecting the pivoted section of the base with the post, and including toggle links, with a screw actuating means for said links.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JESSE A. MORRISON. 

